Licking County Transit has big plans to keep residents moving in 2025.
Between the launch of its Earthworks Circulator – a dedicated route connecting Newark and Heath, with stops at the YMCA in Newark and various shopping and retail centers – and plans to roll out a bus line connecting Newark, Hebron and Buckeye Lake this summer, the transit authority’s Executive Director Matt Allison says there’s a lot to look forward to this year.
“We all realize there’s a need for connections and hubs as we see the growth in western Licking County, and exploding in the rest of the county,” Licking County Transit Executive Director Matt Allison said following a ribbon cutting celebration for the Earthworks Circulator on Friday, Jan. 3. “We have plans for more service build-out, and we would like to add more frequency as well, later and earlier service and even weekend service in the future.”
The Earthworks Circulator, which began despite heavy snow on Monday, Jan. 6, joins three existing routes that cover Newark’s Main Street and 21st Street corridors – which began operating in 2023 – and a route that covers Granville, which began operating in early 2024.
Read more: New bus line to begin traveling between Newark and Granville on March 4
The so-called “Deviated Fixed Route” system employed on these routes is part of a pilot program by Licking County Transit. It’s a hybrid transit model that allows buses to “deviate from that [fixed] route … up to three-quarters of a mile” to accommodate passengers’ needs. The circulators operate from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and remain free for riders during the pilot program.
“In Heath, we understand that this deviated fixed route will help bring people to businesses and services that they might not otherwise be able to get to,” Heath Mayor Mark Johns said during the Friday ribbon-cutting celebration. “It’s a benefit for those people, but it’s also a benefit for those businesses.”
While the circulators remain free for riders during the pilot program, operating costs remain high for Licking County Transit and the county.
“There’s a cost to transit,” said Licking County Commissioner Tim Bubb. “This deviated fixed route is a huge expansion of what we do. There are always possibilities, but only if we can fund them.”
The CASTRO corporation – the owner of Cross Creek Shopping Center in Heath, home to stores like T.J. Maxx, Old Navy and Aldi – has already pledged $10,000 over the next two years to support the cost of the Earthworks Circulator, and Park National Bank has pledged $2,500 in each of the next two years, Johns said on Friday.
The next new route, connecting Hebron and Buckeye Lake to the rest of the transit system, may work a little differently, Allison said.
Though the bus would connect with other lines at 1717 West Main St. in Newark – the same connection point for the four existing circulators – it could operate on a different schedule.
“It’s a really long route, so we’re trying to figure out how to get [the bus] down there and back in an hour,” Allison explained. “We might do a hybrid, where it goes down and back directly for the first two hours, and then it does more micro-transit in the area for a few hours as well.”
That route, Allison said, will likely follow a path through the industrial areas along Rt. 79 between Heath and Hebron before heading to Buckeye Lake.
“We want to get people down to the connection point, but also to get people to the library, to groceries, to work or to medical care,” Allison said. “We’re still working on some of the logistics on how to do that and still connect to the other routes, given the distance. … But we’ve got a pretty good model in the works, and I think we can have a really successful route.”
Read more: Free fares draw riders to Licking County Transit fixed-route buses in Newark and Granville
The Buckeye Lake route was initially explored as part of a 2020 transportation study by the Licking County Area Transportation Study (LCATS). The 2020 study was intended to assess the needs and wants of the community when it comes to public transit, and it included the input of more than 900 stakeholders.
Ultimately, the study found that Licking County needed a more robust transit system to allow more flexibility for residents, especially those headed to and from OSU-Newark, Denison, and Central Ohio Technical College, Allison said.
With four circulators in place, Allison said demand is only growing. In 2022, Licking County Transit saw 62,000 riders annually. In 2023, with the introduction of the first Main Street Circulator, the organization saw 74,000 riders. And in 2024, Allison said they supported more than 108,000 riders.
“I really credit the community and their request for transit services and their support,” Allison said. “I credit this community, because it is a tremendous accomplishment to have the five routes, and to be looking beyond that.”
The transit authority has received several local and state awards and recognitions since Allison took the helm in 2022, including the Community Partner Award from the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities in 2024. Allison also earned the Public Health Guardian Award from the Licking County Health Department and the Leonard Rons Award from the Ohio Public Transit Association and Jessica Wiley, the agency’s marketing and communication specialist, was recently named one of the Newark Advocate’s 20-under-40 honorees.
“One of the most important things that the Board of Developmental Disabilities does for our citizens in this county is ensuring that people can be as independent as possible,” said Jason Umstot, CEO of the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities. “When you think about folks with disabilities that want to obtain employment, they need to get to the doctors, they need to go shopping, maybe they just want to go to the park, and [Licking County] Transit has been able to serve many of the people that we support, and we’re extremely grateful for this partnership.”
Julia Lerner writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.